“The Pumpkin ” Handcraft Chinese Yixing Clay Teapot

The Pumpkin is a 180ml Yixing teapot shaped as a ripe pumpkin, ribbed into segments that run from the stem down to the base. The body is duan clay finished with a zhuni slip, which is where the deep red comes from. The spout, handle and knob are left in bare duan, so the pot comes out two-tone: red across the body, sandy where you hold it.

The details are modelled rather than stuck on. The spout is a furled pumpkin leaf, the knob is the stem with the air hole set into it, and the side handle is a length of vine with the knot left showing. The lid sits flush and lines up with the ribs. Every pot is shaped by hand, so the depth of the ribs and the spread of the leaf vary a little from one to the next.

Inside, the clay is bare duan, unglazed and porous. It picks up the tea you brew in it, so keep the pot to one kind and use it regularly. After a few months it starts to season. Glazed pots stay exactly as you bought them.

At 180ml it's a little larger than the usual 150ml gongfu pot. Three or four small cups an infusion, and the same leaves will take six or seven steeps. Enough for you on your own, or for two across a session.

A note from Joanne

Duan clay is what I suggest to people buying their first Yixing pot. It doesn't push the tea in any one direction the way some clays do, so while you're still working out what to dedicate it to, there's room to try a few things. Once you settle on a tea, the pot starts to build up. That's when Yixing gets interesting.

In the gift set

• The Pumpkin duan clay teapot, 180ml
• Gift box, certificate, brocade tie
• Tea cloth, pot mat, pot cord

The details

• Yixing duan clay, with a zhuni slip over the body
• Hand-shaped ribbed pumpkin form, with leaf spout, stem knob and vine handle
• 180ml, sized for gongfu brewing
• Seasons to your tea with regular use
• From Yixing, Jiangsu Province, China
• For brewing only, not for use on a stovetop or open flame

Seasoning your new Yixing teapot

Before the first use, season the pot to open the clay:

1. Rinse with warm water, including the lid and spout
2. Stand it in a pot of water with a cloth underneath and simmer for 30 to 60 minutes
3. Brew a strong batch of the tea you plan to dedicate the pot to
4. Fill the teapot with that tea and leave it to soak for at least 24 hours
5. Rinse with warm water and air dry

Never use soap on unglazed clay. Rinse with hot water after each session.

Shipping

Each teapot is wrapped in foam and boxed. Ships from Hobart, Tasmania. Free delivery on orders over $95 Australia-wide.